Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-04-01

"A hard one. I'm sure the bigger dog
has a cringing, fussv manner-oVer anx-
ious TO please, which suggests many beat
ing in by-gone days No, would rather
he milk dog it's an honest, respectable
life, with certainty of crust and ken
/ mel when the days work is done. be
lieve I'm as well off as other fellows after
/ all 90
Here Mopsels stumpy tail began to wag
| joyously, his bright brown eyes sparkled,
and the skin on his back broke into ecstatic
wrinkles All this because he spied pref
| ty little girl in awhile dress and blue rib
| bons coming through the narrow lane be-
1 tween the booths Her Swiss nurse with sill
yer chains. tinkling over her black velvet
bodice, and fine muslin apron with won
| derful embroidery, kept tight hold Of the
| little girls hand.
'Do you see that child = whispered Mop
sell "She is an angel she came here to
the pump one day and patted and stroked
me so kindly, with such soft scrap of a
/ hnnd-her touch felt like the cherry bios
SONS pattering over my head in the Aker
at home She said something to her nurse
in a language | did not understand, and
then they went across the platz and came
1 back with a blue crockery bowl The lit
| tie girl made Nettchen fiji this with milk
! II nbltl a great zeal LOD-dnu DuU II uOWD
/ for me to drink. Nettchen got a piece of
silver for it, and seemed much pleased All
but that was good milk it was hot day
and was hungrier and thirstier than us
ual. ! seem to taste it yet. 1t made the
can lighter too it is much easier to carry
milk in your stomach than TO drag it in
/ cart, and Mopsel licked his lips at the de
licious memory. 'She has a heart of gold,
that little girl-Ethel is her name. She is
looking at the dancing poodles now, but
| I'm sure she viii give me a greeting before
she goes.
Ethel came from country far away
across the sea, where the dogs do not have
to work, and she felt much sympathy for
poor Mopsel. Nor was the faithful old fell
low disappointed today; Ethel came over
to where he lay under his cart, and in ad
dition to a kind caress and a string of com
! pliments pleasing to canine ears, she fed
him with many ginger biscuits and sar
dine sandwich.
On the way home that night Mopsel's
conscience smote him for having complain
ed Of his lot to Bosco; his friend had quite
as many trials as he; quite as hard to bear
too, though of very different kind Net
tchen was muSh better friend to him than
the Herr Baron was to Bosco.
As Nettchen embarrassed him that night,
Mopsel tried to recall little of his puppy
freshness as kind of peace-ohering for his
evil thoughts Of the morning. He licked
her hand, and ambled about on his stiff,
crooked, old legs, until Netchen laughed,
and said he was trying to make her believe
he was young, like the old Herr Graf with
his dapper step and his wig.
4 week passed before Mopsel and Bosco
again met in the market-place.
=. Al.
ter you look very seedy-been in a fight,
| suppose, exclaimed Bosco running over
to greet his friend, whom he had missed
for many day,
Yes, but very onesided fight it was
not quarrel of my seeking. couldn't
fight back, either
You don't mean to say any dog was bad
enough TO pitch upon you when you We're
in harness =
That was just my luck he gave me
terrible mauling too. | couldn't stir out of
my shed for three days Look at my eye
now, and my left ear and one paw is so
sore that every step is agony. Nettchen let
me lie by for repairs as long as she could,
but I'm in bad way still "
Il would like to plant tooth or two in
the neck Of the coward who attacked you.
1t wasn't a students dog, I hope"
Mopsel looked down in troubled silence
Speak Mopsel must know the black
legs of our set
1T was Muncher of the Blues
'Donnerwetter one of my own corps
and our etiquette prevents my fighting
him. But we are all muzzled how was it
possible that Muncher maltreated you so I"
"Oh, he slipped his muzzle easily enough
mine was not so loose-you know the rest -
Shameful shameful one of us big
thoroughbred Danes pitching upon help
less mongrel tied to milk cart We Blues
one and all are disgraced. | can't fight
back and avenge your injuries in that way,
Mopsel but perhaps l may some day do
a service which will make you forget this
cowardly assault. | shall watch for a chance
to help you from this day forward"
There had been heavy rains, and the
Neckar was unusually full and swift for
the high summer" On the stone pier
above the rushing stream stood Mopsel and
his cart, waiting for the return of his mis-
tress. A little girl in a big poke bonnet
with a rosy face at the front of it and a
veil of yellow hair flying behind, came
dancing down the pier. She had good
day on her lips and plump seed-cake in
her hand, both for Mopsel. Nanni the
Swiss nurse had stopped 'lu tout petit
moment, in shop.
Ii, tout petit moment is long enough for
grave misfortunes to occur, as Nanni learn
| ed with long-remembered horror
A huge cart-horse swung himself sharply
around the corner Ethel sprang to one
side, slipped, and in an instant was over
the pier in the swift-running water. Mad
ly and furiously Mopsel tugged at his har-
ness, the cruel rope which held him back
from the dear little girl he loved, sinking
before his eyes. One more frantic bound,
the rope snapped, and the brave old dog
was beating his way through the waves.
''He has her-see he holds her head
above water She is safe" cried the ex-
cited crowd which had gathered like magic
upon the pier. There was no boat near,
and no one seemed ready to join in the
rescue with the dog.
Poor old Mopsel years of dragging the
milk-cart had told ON his strength his
teeth were very few and he felt his hold
on the child relaxing-he knew he could
not swim with her to shore. Imploringly
his gaze swept the shore where the crowd
stood, the human eyes seeing not that the
dogs strength was almost spent.
But Boscos canine intelligence was quick
to see the trouble the instant he arrived
with his master upon the scene of the acct
dent. In he plunged and swan TO the help
of his mongrel friend Not moment too
soon his strong teeth closed ON unconscious
Ethels draggled finery, his firm, long legs
plowed the water like short oars, and Ethel
was laid in the arms of the distracted Nan
nj. Bosco had wiped out the disgrace which
Muncher had brought upon him and all his
fellows
Relieved of his burden, Mopsel swan back
to shore with comparative ease and Ethel,
under the influence of warm blankets and
warm drinks, was soon able to listen to the
story of her rescue.
Ethels parents, ready to shower benefits
upon the rusty brown dog and his employ
ers were half vexed that the Tabberts
only wish seemed to be the possession of
donkey. 1t was nonsense to give such a
trihe. Nettchen should have in addition
souvenier of Ethel in the form of a gener-
Gus gold piece
The Herr Baron was also prevailed upon
to accept, for his dog, a remembrance of
the little American girl whom the inteli-
gent animal had helped to rescue.
Thus it came about that BoscO wears a
collar of solid silver richly wrought, which
does not stain his neck green. And Mop
sci, instead Of Juggling YEARLY at the cart,
now sits in the market-pace beside the don
key he won by his courageous plunge, and
keeps faithful guard over the cabbages aud
milk, The Sunday Republican,
"Your Honor, he was drunk | saw him
staggering through the street, said the po-
lceman. PrisoneT--"Nour Honor, he is
mistaken. | was simply practcing the
earthquake step, for there is no knowing
what may happen
A lecturer who once gave a lecture ON
the oyster tells this story After il was fin
q a. l..